José María Figueres was born
on 24 December 1954 in San José, Costa Rica. He is
the son of José "Pepe" Figueres and Karen
Olsen. His father, Don Pepe, was President of Costa Rica three
times (1948-1949, 1953-1958, 1970-1974), and his mother, besides
fulfilling her responsibilities as first lady, has a distinguished
career of public service as a Congresswoman and Ambassador.
José María is the oldest of four siblings, José
María, Christiana, Mariano and Kirsten. He also has
an older brother, Marti and sister, Muni, from his father’s
first marriage.

José
María was born into a world of intense political and
international activity. In 1948, his father, Don Pepe, led
a revolution that culminated in the establishment of the Second
Republic. With it came a radical realignment of Costa Rica’s
politics – most notably the abolition of the country’s
armed forces. Don Pepe’s legacy of heavy investment
in education, health and expansion of the nation’s infrastructure
has meant peace and prosperity for Costa Rica during the latter
half of the 20th century. Beloved for his quick wit, sharp
tongue and can-do attitude, Don Pepe is considered the father
of modern-day Costa Rica.

José María grew up in “La
Lucha”, a small factory town established by his father
in 1928. He began his first years of schooling at the Escuela
Cecilia Orlich Figueres, the public school of la Lucha. Given
his Mother’s interest in José María learning
several languages, he continued his school years at the Humboldt
Schule and later graduated from the Lincoln High School in
San José, as president of the student body. José
María went on to study engineering at the United States
Military Academy at West Point, graduating in 1979 with a
major in Engineering.